# Battery Ressurection....scam? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 30, 2006, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battery-ressurection-scam/382340 "2006-11-30T16:14:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![crazyjoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f14d63/32.png) [@crazyjoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crazyjoe)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2006, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battery-ressurection-scam/382340/1 "2006-11-30T16:14:49Z")
I have seen some ads online for a method which purports to tell you how to ressurect batteries which no longer charge. The method is being sold for 12.95, and suffice it to say, I’m skeptical. Anyone here have the straight dope on this, or know what they might be doing? I ask because I have a 6 year old 9.6v drill and one of hte batteries no longer holds a charge, and I can’t justify the price of replacing the battery, but don’t want to junk the drill. ---
**Author:** ![Rico](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rico/32/3582_2.png) [@Rico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rico)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2006, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battery-ressurection-scam/382340/2 "2006-11-30T17:03:19Z")
Depends on the chemistry…but, overall, it’s a scam. I was able to resurrect NiCad battery packs when I worked at a two-way radio shop by (KIDS - DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME) deliberately applying a 2X voltage to the pack terminals while monitoring the current output. When the current suddenly dipped to almost zero then slammed the meter back up to normal, the voltage was removed immediately at that point. The battery pack was then placed in a rapid rate charger and charged overnight. It would get you through a few more weeks. Then you had to buy a new pack. This was only done when we didn’t have a particular pack in stock and the customer had to have his radio. We would order the new battery, zap his old one, and it would get him through until the new pack arrived. I’d be interested to see what is said about resurrecting battery packs, though. I wonder if it’s something as simple as buying new cells to mount inside the pack… ---
**Author:** ![crazyjoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f14d63/32.png) [@crazyjoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crazyjoe)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2006, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battery-ressurection-scam/382340/3 "2006-11-30T18:27:06Z")
No, the materials I looked at were not about replacing individual cells within a pack (something else I was considering, but also expensive wrt the value of the drill), but they do mentione hooking up a multimeter so I suspect it has something to do with what you speak of here. I suspect that sometimes this has to do with the batteries switching polarity because of being drained all the way, but who knows?